Abstract
The thesis titled "The Effectiveness of the Village Fund Direct Cash Assistance (Blt Da) Program in Reducing Poverty Rates in Babad Village, Kedungadem Sub-District, Bojonegoro Regency" was written by Marsih Indaya, Student ID 21040674261, under the guidance of Eva Hany Fanida, S.AP, MAP.
Babad Village in Kedungadem Sub-District, Bojonegoro Regency, is one of the villages in East Java whose residents have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, with the issuance of the Village Fund Direct Cash Assistance (BLT DD) by the government in 2022, allocating 40% of the total Village Fund budget to direct cash assistance, each household is set to receive Rp. 300,000 per month. Essentially, this assistance program complements a series of social safety net programs established by the government, such as PKH, Rice Aid, and electricity discounts. The difference lies in the BLT DD scheme, which grants the village government full authority to determine eligible recipients through participatory village meetings. It is hoped that the recipients will use this assistance wisely to meet their basic needs. The purpose of this research is to determine the effectiveness of the BLT DD program in reducing poverty rates in Babad Village, Kedungadem Sub-District, Bojonegoro Regency. This study employs qualitative methods for data collection through interviews, observations, and documentation, with data processing utilizing triangulation. The research results indicate that the Village Fund Direct Cash Assistance program has effectively reduced the poverty rate in Babad Village, Kedungadem Sub-District, Bojonegoro Regency. This is evidenced by statistical data on poor households in all villages within Kedungadem Sub-District obtained from the DAMISDA Bojonegoro website. In 2022, Babad Village ranked 3rd with 437 poor households, but in 2023, there was a significant decrease, with only 221 poor households, ranking 11th. The BLT DD program successfully targeted recipients according to the government's criteria.
Keywords: Social Assistance, Village Fund, Poverty.